Full transparency... the beginning of winter here in London for me has 100% not been a vibe. It was largely situational (work, financial insecurities, people re-prioritising me out of their life), but also partly seasonal 'sads' for sure. But it's now December, I am back to my happy, smiley, no-tears Chels & I have some tips. You can read them... ignore them... think I'm on crack... but they are just some things that have helped me recently.

 

The first one is to ignore the urge to stay home all of the time. Trust me, I had to really fight this one with everything I had, for some reason the 'sads' sent me into hibernation mode. In London there are so many cute, festive AF activities that people on the Southern side of the world don't have the joy of experiencing. Yes it's cold, f*n unnecessarily cold but I have yet to regret bundling up like a legitimate marshmallow & going out with friends to an event or an experience. Give the Netflix account a night off.

 

Reach out to friends, family or professional help when you need to. Chances are your friends are also feeling extra sleepy, low energy, bit bleh. Your parents or siblings are bound to have some words of wisdom for you, because thats what family is best at. Professionals are, well, professionals at their job & can offer suggestions, supplements, medication to help you.. Just remember that 1 in 20 people say that they experience some or all symptoms of the seasonal 'sads' so you are never alone.  

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The next one that reallllllly helped me is to try something new. For me, it's salsa which is comical in it's own right if you know me in person because I have the rythym of a middle age white man & two left feet. But that's exactly why I signed up for the first class. To actively know that I was going to be bad but go out & do it anyway. I went with a group of 20 supportive strangers from the internet who have been doing it for around 6 months & wiped the floor with me, but I loved it & signed up to keep going back. By summer, I might be getting somewhere & bonus it pulls me out of the house. 

 

Embrace the cozy. Not every night of the week will be filled with social outings, thank goodness because that sounds exhausting. But going full main character moment - think reading, drinking tea, lighting scented candles, fairy lights galore, long hot bubble baths, journaling - these all give you a hit of dopamine & can be really fun if you lean into it. Or why not start a Christmas movie marathon on a cold London night? 

 

Exercise. I had to take my own advice on this one, I tend to get lazy when life starts to kick my butt. For some reason exercise just sprints to the bottom of my life list. Regular movement is really important & bonus snow walks are magical. Just take advice from your internet big sister & take care on the ice - that shit don't play. If like me a gym membership is out of the budget there are so many content creators that post free, accessible, rental friendly exercise options that you can take advantage of. A few of my favourites are blogilates, popsugar fitness, the fitness marshall, fitness blender. Tik Tok also comes through with the goods, my saved vids are teeming with workout videos 

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Sunshine. This one seems a bit hypocritical, seeing as the main reason for the sads is the lack of sun & warmth. But even if it's just five minutes in the sun on your lunch break or stopping on your walk to just stop & give the sunshine a second to hit you, it instantly puts a smile on my face & doesn't have to take a long time! If it's in the neg degrees & you are hell bent on not leaving your bed (fair, those Victorian houses get bloody cold) just open up your blinds to make it less of a Vamp inspired cocooon & let a little 'light' in.

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Don't try & overdo it, it can be easy to throw yourself into everything you can find just to avoid being alone on the dark days but there is no benefit in spending all of your hard earned cash & adding the financial pressures to January. Create transparency in your circle of friends, it's ok to say thank you for the invite but I don't have the money right now. Or get together & have a movie or DIY spa night, everyone bring food or chip in & make something together. Limit your spend for the night & just enjoy the company in a much more affordable setting. 

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Bonus round. Make some fun plans that you can look towards in the future, start a savings pot for a summer vacation in Greece or research what shows are coming to West End next year that you don't want to miss out on. 

 

#awanderingredhead